Phlox plant named ‘Cloudburst’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique cultivar of garden Phlox named Phlox ‘Cloudburst’ multi-stemmed, compact, slowly-spreading habit with clean green, glossy, lanceolate leaves with exceptional powdery mildew resistance. Sweetly fragrant flowers of lavender-purple with bright pink eye zones are produced on multiple branched peduncles and cover from the top down to nearly the soil beginning the last week of May and continuing for about five weeks, and repeating through mid-fall. ‘Cloudburst’ especially suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, and for cut flower arrangements.

Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Cloudburst’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phloxplant, known as Phlox ‘Cloudburst and will be referred to hereafter byits cultivar name or the “new plant”. The new plant was the result of asingle seedling selection from the cross of Phlox paniculata ‘Ditomsur’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,109 times a proprietary unreleased selection ofPhlox latifolia (not patented) performed at a wholesale perennialnursery in Zeeland, Mich. on Jul. 14, 2011. The new plant was originallygiven the breeder code 11-42-1 throughout subsequent evaluations at thesame nursery. ‘Cloudburst’ has been asexually propagated by stemcuttings in the greenhouses at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. since2013. The unique characteristics of the new plant have been found to bereproducible and stable in successive generations of asexuallypropagated plants and the resultant plants have been found to beidentical to the original selection.

No plants of Phlox ‘Cloudburst’ have been sold or disclosed, in thiscountry or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of thisapplication, with the exception of that which may have been sold ordisclosed within one year of the filing date of this application and waseither derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Phlox ‘Cloudburst’ is unique from its parents and all other tall gardenPhlox or other Phlox known to the inventor. The new plant differs fromthe female parent ‘Ditomsur’ in that the female parent has red-purplecolored flowers later in the season, is slightly taller and has narrowerfoliage. Compared to the male parent Phlox latifolia the new plant hasmore flatter and fuller flower faces with petals of lavender-purplerather than pinkish. The most closely comparison cultivar known to theinventor is Phlox ‘Fashionably Early Flamingo’ U.S. Plant patentapplication Ser. No. 15/530,085. Compared with ‘Cloudburst’,‘Fashionably Early Flamingo’ is taller and produces flowers of morelavender pink, habit is more rhizomatous and foliage more glossy.Compared with all of the above cultivars ‘Cloudburst’ flowering coversnearly the whole mound from top to soil, whereas each of the abovecultivars flower more exclusively at the top. ‘Cloudburst’ differs fromall other Phlox known to the inventor in the following repeatedlyobserved traits in combination:

-   -   1. Plants of broad, mounding, billowy habit, slowly spreading by        short rhizomes, producing clean, glossy, clean green, lanceolate        leaves.    -   2. Showing exceptional powdery mildew resistance.    -   3. Multiple branched stems produce rounded mounds of flowers        starting very early in the season.    -   4. Sweetly fragrant flowers on strong wiry stems of about 30 cm        tall producing sweetly-fragrant, initially lavender-purple        flower faces with bright pink eye zones.    -   5. Flowers cover the plant from the top down to the nearly the        soil.    -   6. Excellent re-blooming through mid-fall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of‘Cloudburst’ and the overall appearance of the plant at three-years-old.The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with colorreproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and directionmay cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant in peak flower in the landscape.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the floriferous flower head with flowers andbuds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. Phlox ‘Cloudburst’ has not beenobserved under all possible environments. The phenotype may varyslightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light,fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any changein the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions arebased on two-year-old plants in the full sun trial garden of a wholesaleperennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer andwater as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid;-   Parentage: Female or seed parent Phlox paniuclata ‘Ditomsur’; male    or pollen parent Phlox latifolia;-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, densely upright, producing    about four rigid upright stems; flowering and about 55.0 cm tall and    about 42.0 cm wide; flowering begins about the last week of May in    Michigan and continuing for about 5 weeks and repeating through    summer and until heavy frost;-   Propagation: Stem cuttings; rooting in about 14 days;-   Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: About 8 to 10    weeks; moderate rate of growth;-   Root: Primary roots to about 1.0 mm thick; secondary fibrous and    freely branching; color creamy white to tan depending on soil type;-   Leaves: Simple, opposite, lanceolate; entire and micro-ciliate    margin; acute to acuminate apex; rounded to attenuate base;-   Leaf size: To about 115.0 mm long by about 37.0 mm wide, average    about 95.0 mm long by about 32.0 mm wide;-   Leaf surfaces: Abaxial sparsely puberulent, lustrous; adaxial    sparsely puberulent, semi-lustrous;-   Leaf color expanding: Abaxial nearest RHS 146B with heavy blush of    nearest RHS N186C; adaxial nearest RHS 137D with heavy blush of RHS    N186C;-   Leaf color at flowering: Abaxial nearest RHS 146B with heavy blush    of nearest RHS N186C, adaxial nearest RHS 137A;-   Foliage fragrance: None detected;-   Veins: Pinnate; glabrous abaxial and adaxial; midrib about 1.0 mm    wide at base, slightly sunken adaxial and raised abaxial;-   Vein color: Abaxial midrib nearest RHS 145C, adaxial midrib nearest    RHS 145C; other adaxial and abaxial veins same color as surrounding    leaf;-   Petiole: Leaves sessile;-   Stems: Terete; stiff; wiry; strong; upright; finely and sparsely    puberulent; average about 30.0 cm long and 8.0 mm diameter at base;-   Stem color: Between 146B and RHS 146A with blushing of between RHS    N187A and RHS 187A;-   Nodes: About nine per stem below flowers; average internode length    about 4.6 cm;-   Node color: Nearest RHS 187A;-   Inflorescence: A branched compound corymb of about 250 to 300    flowers; about 21.0 cm long and 19.0 cm across;-   Flowers: Perfect; salverform with flat face and long fused tube;    actinomophic; typically with five petals; about 3.2 cm long total    with tube about 2.0 cm long; face about 3.5 cm across; attitude    upright to outward;-   Flower longevity: About 5 days on plant or as cut flower;    self-cleaning;-   Flower fragrance: Faint to lightly sweet;-   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate, to    nearly clavate; acute apex with petals twisted about each other;    base fused; about 33.0 mm long and 3.0 mm diameter in tube and    swollen to 6.0 mm diameter toward apex;-   Bud color: Petals and base nearest RHS 83D;-   Petals: Five; margin entire; apex rounded; base fused into tube;    abaxial and adaxial limb glabrous, abaxial tube surface puberulent,    adaxial tube glabrous except pubescent in region about 5.0 mm to    10.0 mm from base;-   Petal size: Basal 20.0 mm fused into tube, to a diameter of about    2.0 diameter; limbs about 18.0 mm across, and face about 16.0 mm    long; imbricate about 3.0 mm of the petals to either side;-   Petal color: Young flowers—Adaxial face between RHS N78B and RHS    N78C toward center and nearest RHS N81C toward apex; abaxial limb    nearest RHS N80C toward center and nearest RHS N82D toward apex;    adaxial tube nearest RHS 145C toward base with pubescence white    nearest RHS NN155D and distal 13.0 mm of tube nearest RHS 83D,    abaxial tube basal 3.0 mm nearest RHS 145C with distal 17.0 mm    between RHS N80B and RHS N80C; Mature flowers—Adaxial face distal    and leading petal edges nearest RHS 85D with center and back edges    nearest RHS N80D; abaxial limb edges lighter than RHS 85D with    remaining portion nearest RHS N87D;-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Typically five; adnate to adaxial petals except            free in terminal 1.0 mm; varying lengths between 18.0 mm and            13.0 mm, less than 0.5 mm in diameter; white, nearest RHS            NN155D to nearest RHS 85D.        -   Anther.—Five; oblong elliptic; basifixed; longitudinal;            about 4.0 mm long by 1.0 mm wide; color nearest RHS 10A.        -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 11A.-   Gynoecium: One pistil per flower; to about 20.0 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Terete; about 17.0 mm long and less than 0.5 mm            diameter when flower is mature; color base nearest RHS 145D,            mid-section lighter than RHS 186D or RHS N155B, just below            stigma nearest RHS 145D.        -   Stigma.—Trifurcate in the distal 1.5 mm, less than 0.25 mm            in diameter; persistent after flower abscission; color            nearest RHS 150C.        -   Ovary.—Superior; globose; about 2.5 mm long and 1.5 mm            diameter; color nearest RHS 144A.-   Calyx: Tubular; to about 16.0 mm long and 4.0 mm wide at apex;-   Sepals: Five; lanceolate; narrowly acute apex, margin entire; base    fused; surface matte and sparsely puberulent abaxial and sparsely    and micro-puberulent and lustrous adaxial; individually about 16.0    mm long and 1.5 mm wide; fused in basal 6.0 mm forming tube 2.5 mm    diameter at base and 4.0 mm diameter at apex;-   Sepal color: Abaxial apex nearest RHS 137C with heavy blushing of    nearest RHS N186C in intense light with margin transparent to    translucent with blushing nearest RHS N186C; adaxial base nearest    RHS 145A, longitudinal center nearest RHS 138A margins (about 0.5 mm    wide) nearest RHS NN155D to translucent with blushing nearest RHS    187D;-   Peduncle: Glabrous, stiff, strong, upright, terete; about 30.0 cm    long and 2.5 mm diameter at base of flower branches; branches to    about 15.0 cm long and 2.0 mm diameter at base;-   Peduncle color: Between RHS 146B and RHS 146A with blushing between    RHS N187A and RHS 187A;-   Pedicel: Terete; to about 7.0 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; glabrous    to micro-puberulent;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 137C with heavy blushing of nearest RHS    N186D in intense light;-   Fruit: Dehiscent capsule with flat base and acute to mucronate apex;    about 7.0 mm long and 5.0 mm diameter; color at maturity nearest RHS    161C;-   Seeds: Up to four; slightly flattened ellipsoid; about 3.5 mm long    and 2.5 mm across and 2.0 mm thick; color nearest RHS 202A;-   Hardiness and culture: The new plant grows best with plenty of    moisture and adequate drainage; hardy to at least from USDA zone 4    through 8.-   Disease and pest resistance: Phlox ‘Cloudburst’ demonstrated the    excellent powdery mildew resistance caused by Erysiphe cichoracearum    under conditions of intense pressure that would normally show    symptoms.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of hybrid Phlox plant namedPhlox ‘Cloudburst’, as herein described and illustrated.